Dumbledore's Bad Idea
by Draco's Secret Lover
Summary: Dumbledore has decided that a field day would help the students bond during these dark times. It really started off as a good idea... Oneshot.


Author's Notes: I own only multi-colored floppy disks. Please don't sue, as I am making no money that you could possibly sue for.  
  
Dumbledore's Bad Idea  
  
  
  
  
The field day had seemed like such a good idea when Dumbledore first announced it. Almost the whole school had signed up. All the Gryfindor's, except Hermione and Neville. And a lot of the Ravenclaws didn't. There would be regular sports, such as broom races, duels, and an obstacle course, like Lupin's in their third year. But there would also be a muggle sport- the three-legged race. Dumbledore had it set up over two days, Saturday and Sunday, with wizard sports the first day, and muggle sports the next. But this morning he had announced that he was not going to have any muggle sports, except for the three- legged race. Everyone at the Slytherin table smirked, and everyone else wondered why. Dumbledore looked at everyone in turn before going on.  
  
"I have decided that we will make this event into a learning experience. We will let this race be an all day event, and it will teach you to work together. To further teach this, you will not choose your own partner. They will be chosen for you by me. I will simply be drawing names out of a hat," he said, above the worried/excited whispers of the students. " Also, Everyone who participates in tomorrows field day must be in Sunday's event. With no exceptions."  
  
  
  
Early Sunday morning, the whole school was up, eager to see who would be partnered with who. And the drawing was right after breakfast. So everyone ate quicker than usual and the drawing got underway.  
  
About ten minutes into the drawing, Harry's name was pulled. The next name would be his partner. He slid to the edge of his seat, the names of almost everyone he knew running through his mind. Dumbledore smiled slightly and cleared his throat before reading it. Apparently, he was amused by it. "Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Argh!" Harry moaned. Of all the people who ran through his mind, Draco was not one of them. He never imagined, of all the people in the school, it would have to be Draco.   
  
Ron looked sympathetic, but didn't say anything on account of his name was yet to be drawn. Hermione said Dumbledore probably did it on purpose. Ginny laughed. But stopped when her name was called a few seconds later. She scowled when her partner was a Slytherin too. Across the room, Draco was fuming. He was also looking at Harry through narrowed eyes, as if it were all his fault. But Harry was not paying attention to any of them. All he could think was for the next 8 hours, he would be tied to his worst enemy. And he was not going to be un-prepared.  
  
  
  
"Look, Potter. I wanna win this stupid thing. It'll make me look good for my father. So I'm willing to call a truce for this race. But that's over as soon as Dumbledore unties us."'  
  
"Fine, but no.... Ack! Oy, Colin, save some film for later!"  
  
  
  
All the students were finished with breakfast and were now assembling into two lines, with partners across from each other. As each set got to the headmaster, ropes shot out from the end of his wand. They were charmed so that they could only be removed by Dumbledore or if the wearer was in mortal peril. When Harry and Draco reached the front of the line, Dumbledore told them to have fun before binding their legs together, Harry's left and Draco's right. Five minutes later, Draco said, "I have to go to the bathroom." Harry sighed. It was going to be a long day.  
  
  
  
It was an odd assortment by the lake after lunch. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a circle. Behind Harry sat Draco, around him, his gang of Slytherins, and behind them, their partners. Behind Ron, sat a Ravenclaw with her gang. They were on the edge, as most of the Ravenclaws didn't participate. This particular girl's name was Tonia Blaze. She had short red hair, big blue eyes, and a mischievous smile. Ron was already head-over-heels.   
  
  
  
Harry wanted to go see Hagrid. Draco wanted to send an owl. What they ended up doing, was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, attracting a rather large amount of attention, seeing that since they couldn't go to their dorms unless they were partnered with someone from their own house, most everyone was congregating in the Hall.  
  
"I refuse to visit that great oaf!"  
  
"I will have no part of complaining to your father!"  
  
"Oh, yes you will! You know, you could write to your father, if you had one."  
  
Draco barley had time to smirk before Harry's fist hit him, right across the mouth. Draco narrowed his eyes and swung at Harry, who was already swinging again.  
  
Ron started to run to help Harry out, when suddenly he fell flat on his face. He had forgotten that he was tied to Tonia. She laughed at him while she helped him up, then made him sit on a chair in the corner, thus keeping both of them out of the impending fight.  
  
Crabbe and Goyle, however, had been partnered together. They ran towards Draco. Seeing this, Tonia's gang, who weren't involved in this 'field day', ran to stop them.  
  
Within the next five minutes the entirety of the Great Hall was fighting, with the exceptions of Hermione, Neville, Tonia, and Ron. Even Ginny was in on it, as her partner had been a Slytherin.  
  
  
  
The fight had been going on for about twenty minutes, a record at Hogwart's, mainly due to the fact that the teachers had been stunned, most likely by Slytherin's, the second they came into the hall. Poor Neville was hiding under a table, with Hermione trying to coax him out so they could un-stun the teachers. Tonia and Ron, still tied together, were behind some chairs, cursing as many Slytherin's as they could hit.  
  
Suddenly, a mass of about ten people came rolling over the table, crashing into the chairs, knocking Ron and Tonia to the floor. Ron landed on top of her, and they stared into each other's eyes. The whole Hall faded away, but the two of them. Ron, with that really adorable confused face, slowly leaned toward her, closing his eyes. Tonia closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly off the floor. When their lips touched, they felt as if they were melting into each other. As if some part of them that was missing that they didn't know was missing was finally in place. And nothing else mattered.  
  
  
  
Two days later, the howlers were still arriving steadily for Dumbledore from angry parents. Hermione was still shocked that something had happened that the teacher's couldn't fix. Harry and Draco were still in the hospital wing. And Ron was still in love.  
  
  
  
Tonia leaned her head onto Ron's shoulder. It was four days after 'The Event', as some had begun calling it, and they were waiting in the owlery for Harry, who was finally able to leave the infirmary. Draco was still kept in for at least another day. Hermione was over her shock, Ginny had decided not to drop out and run off to the circus (she was embarrassed by getting a howler from her mother at breakfast the day after 'the event'). Ron's world was perfect.  
  
  
  
Harry was glad he looked through the door before walking in. Because this was something he didn't want to interrupt. His best friend, who seemed to always be sad or angry or embarrassed about something, was smiling. He was holding his girlfriend close as he looked out the window at the crescent moon, and smiling a bit more when he saw a shooting star. Harry decided to come back later. He'd just say hat Madame Pomfrey made him have another bar of chocolate before he left, he decided as he walked away. He headed toward the library, fairly certain that his other best friend would be there.~ 


End file.
